The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor, Remy Lubbe, a citizen of the Netherlands. Unnamed, unpatented Salvia plants were crossed during the Summer of 2006, at a commercial nursery in Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands. The new variety was discovered in the Summer of 2007, at the same commercial nursery by the inventor, Remy Lubbe, in a group of seedlings resulting from that crossing. The names and species of the parent varieties are unknown.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar ‘CURLING WAVES’ by vegetative cuttings was first performed at the same commercial greenhouse in Noordwijerhout, the Netherlands during 2008. At least 3 more generations have since been produced, and have shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type on successive generations.